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David
Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime
minister, was 20 years old when he arrived in Israel
from Plonsk, Russia, in 1906. He spent his first four
years in the country as an agricultural laborer in the
Negev, sparking a life-long interest in applied agricultural
research. In 1957, he founded the Negev Institute for
Arid Zone Research in Be’er Sheva, the forerunner
of the Institute for Applied Research (IAR) at Ben-Gurion
University.
 The
IAR has a permanent staff of
50, including 14 research scientists, and comprises ten
well-equipped laboratories, which conduct research into
tissue culture and molecular genetics, growth chambers,
eight greenhouses (with a quarantine facility), a refrigerated
seed promulgation chamber, and a seed storage program.
In addition, the Institute has two experimental stations
off campus.
Professor Dov Pasternak,
Director of the IAR, is widely
credited for the development of planted varieties adapted
to brackish water irrigation, which produce high-quality
fruits and vegetables. He has served as a consultant
for the installation of irrigation systems in arid regions
throughout the world.
The International
Program for Arid Land Crops
The International
Program for Arid Land Crops (IPALC),
a project of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was formed
to promote the transfer, development and dissemination
of arid land crops and environmentally sound Israeli
agricultural techniques to underdeveloped nations in
the world. RNDARC provides extension services to IPALC.
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